In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. We also grow a lesser number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits, usually to capture recessive traits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of nectarine tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘Pearlicious X’.
The present variety was hybridized by us in 2002 as a first generation cross using ‘Snow Princess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,570) peach as the selected seed parent and an unnamed nectarine as the selected pollen parent. The fruit of this cross was gathered that summer, and the seeds were removed from the fruit, germinated, cracked, stratified, and grown as seedlings on their own root in our greenhouse. Upon reaching dormancy the seedlings were transplanted as a group to a cultivated area of our experimental orchard located near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). During the fruit evaluation season of 2007 we selected the present variety as a single tree from the group of seedlings described above. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of nectarine tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproductions were true to the original tree in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its seed parent, ‘Snow Princess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,570) peach, by blooming in the early season, by being self-fertile, and by producing fruit that is globose in shape, mostly red in skin color, and yellowish white in flesh color, but is distinguished therefrom by having globose instead of reniform leaf glands and by producing fruit that is nectarine instead of peach, that is clingstone instead of freestone, and that matures six days earlier.
The present variety is most similar to ‘Majestic Pearl’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,778) nectarine by being a vigorous tree, by being self-fertile, and by producing nectarines that are clingstone in type, globose in shape, full red in skin color, genetically white in flesh color, and firm in texture, but is distinguished therefrom by blooming earlier, by requiring less chilling hours, by having globose instead of reniform leaf glands, and by producing fruit that is somewhat sweeter and slightly more acidic in flavor, and that matures eight days later.